18 • ASIAN TIMBER • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2002
Special Report
Low-cost approach to logging
By Markku Ranin
F
orest companies around the world
seek to leave all forest work to
private contractors. The rationale
is that companies want to concentrate
their limited investments in what they
know best, whether they are in the
business of sawing, peeling or chipping
for boards and pulp. Cyclical variations
in market demand are easier to control if
the labour-intensive forest work is left in
private hands.
In Southeast Asia, in particular, it is vital
to create job opportunities to maintain
social peace and to promote private
entrepreneurs. Privatisation of road
transportation of logs has been well
accepted and investment in one or even
several trucks is within financial reach of
these new businesses.
Wheel tractors and forest trailers offer
a new low investment solution to log
forwarding. Simple to operate and with
little need for servicing, forest trailers are
now an affordable choice where private
contractors are encouraged to take over
all aspects of forest work. For the price of
one traditional forwarder one can buy five
trailers - each with close to the same
carrying capacity.
Cheap to own - cheap to
operate
Wheel tractors and flatbed trailers have
long been used in oil palm plantations.
They are used to carry the heavy nuts to
the roadside where they are then loaded
to trucks. Similarly, wheel tractors are now
emerging in forest work for all the same
reasons. It is easy to find skilled men to
operate these forwarders as there are
many who master the articulated tractor/
trailer link and can do servicing to wheel
tractors.
Trailers’ loaders are similarly easy to
operate as controls function exactly like
the ones in excavators. A high reliability
is achieved when in the case of engine
trouble only the wheel tractor needs to be
replaced without further interruption to the
forwarding work.
Forest trailers typically need no
modification before being fitted to a
wheel tractor. The grapple loader with
a rotator, hydraulic support legs and the
hydraulic 4-WD drive to the low ground
pressure balloon tires are all powered
by a tiny portable hydraulic pump that
fits nicely to the PTO output of the
tractor. Hydraulic control levers are
portable and just lifted to a suitable
place near the tractor driver.
They also make good road speeds, up
to 40 km/h fully laden, making it possible
to avoid reloading and delivering logs
direct to the mill if distance is a reasonable
10km or less. It has been noted with
delight that the road speed allows all
machinery to be taken to the
campgrounds for the night for security
reasons and not left in the dark forests on
their own.
Forest forwarding work carried out in
Indonesian acacia plantations have
shown lower than expected costs in
hauling logs to the roadside over
distances that vary from 100 m to 400
m. Operating and investment costs have
been well below US$10 per hour or less
than US$1.5 for each m
3
of wood
carried.
With the low investment level -
including cheap freight costs as one
can fit four units into a single 40ft
container - and ease of operation and
service, forest trailers or “ants” are
expected to make deep inroads in large
numbers into the forest communities in
Asia.
Nokka trailers were lengthened by 3 feet and fitted with an extra pair
of side poles to accommodate two tiers of short logs.
Nokka can take full 12 tons of logs whether they are short or long.
Designed primarily for plantations, the trailer is here loading mixed
tropical logs in Sumatra.
